Friday, July 26, 2013

Battle of Brown's Mill: Where everything went horribly wrong for Union cavalry

Thomas E. Redwine shows movement of Union troops into Newnan

Not a whole
lot went wrong for Union Gen. William T. Sherman during his successful 1864 campaign
to take Atlanta, a huge win for the North and President Abraham Lincoln, who
needed a victory to assure re-election.

While his unsuccessful
assault of Kennesaw Mountain was costly, Sherman’s decision to send about 5,200
cavalry troopers to tear up railroad track south of Atlanta turned into an
outright disaster.

Author David Evans

His aim was
to disrupt vital supply and communication lines and avoid a protracted siege by
forcing the South to abandon Atlanta.

“Sherman had
no experience to speak of with cavalry. He never truly appreciated their abilities
and their limitations,” argues historian David Evans.

In his book, “Sherman’s
Horsemen,” Evan details the use of cavalry during the campaign and the
ill-fated McCook-Stoneman Raid.

Two previous
Union raids -- which came up against few Confederates -- proved successful. Sherman
was emboldened.

List of Rebel casualties

“He decided
to put all his eggs in one basket and decided to conduct one of the largest
raids in the Civil War.”

As another
large Federal column engaged elsewhere, Brig. Gen Edward M. McCook, with about
3,000 troopers and Maj. Gen. George Stoneman’s 2,200 men set out in separate
columns. They agreed to rendezvous at Lovejoy Station to destroy track.

“They are
riding into a hornet’s nest,” Evans tells the Picket.

The hornet
stings ended up paralyzing McCook while his men tried to escape a horde of
Rebel pursuers a few miles outside of Newnan, a hospital town.

The Confederates
sprung their trap at Brown’s Mill in a well-timed ambush. After a council of
war, McCook ceded effective command. He lost artillery pieces, horses and about
1,200 men forced to surrender during their pell-mell rush to cross the
Chattahoochee River and reach the safety of Union lines.

Campaign map at Newnan depot

It was a
bloody debacle, in which there was saber-to-saber fighting, a trail of bodies
and the heroic actions of a Union trooper who received the Medal of Honor.

A portion of the
battlefield will be formally dedicated Saturday as Brown’s
Mill Battlefield Historic Civil War Site. The 105 acres includes two short
trails, a meadow and a half dozen interpretive signs detailing the battle.

McCook had
initial success after setting off July 27, 1864, tearing up Atlanta & West
Point Railroad track at Palmetto and capturing Confederate supplies at
Fayetteville. “There is some pretty good evidence that McCook got into some
captured liquor and overimbibed,” says Evans.

Stoneman, who
had moved south on the east side of the Ocmulgee River, was unable to ford and abandoned
plans to meet McCook. He decided to move up plans to free Union prisoners at
Andersonville. Stoneman and much of his command, however, were captured at
Macon.

McCook and
his men reached Lovejoy Station on July 29. They did little damage to the Macon
& Western Railroad.

“There is no
sign of Stoneman. This puts McCook in a quandary,” says Evans.

Brig. Gen. McCook

McCook makes
what he calls a “strategic withdrawal” and is hounded by Confederate cavalry
after he made the decision to head back to Union lines via Newnan.

Early the
morning of July 30, after skirmishes at Line Creek and Shake Rag, troopers of
the 8th Indiana ride into town, surprised to find dismounted
Confederate cavalry at the railroad depot. McCook decides to avoid battle and
continue his push for the river.

“O, how
joyfully we hailed them,” Confederate nurse Kate Cumming wrote in her diary. “They
came galloping in by two different roads; the enemy in the meantime hearing of
their approach, were retreating.”

Newnan
children attempted to follow the Union troopers, but were told to go home.

Nurse Kate Cumming

An ambush at
what is now the intersection of Old Corinth and Millard Farmer roads demoralizes
the advance Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky regiments in the column, setting up the
short, but ferocious battle.

“Wheeler see
his lines wavering and he rides to the front, draw his sword, orders his bugler
to sound charge and orders the men to ‘follow me,’” says Evans.

Sandra
Parker, comprehensive planner for Coweta County, which owns the new historic
site, said Wheeler and other commanders made an assault on the larger Union
force, which was now straddling what came to be known as Ricketyback Road.

Fighting
see-sawed across the road.

Wheeler “used
(his men) very strategically in a huge horseshoe and moved in on them,” says
Parker.

McCook held a
brief council of war, suggesting the force surrender. Other officers decided to
fight and McCook basically gave up command. It was every man for himself then,
with separate columns attempting to break out from the trap.

“They were
outgeneraled and fled south,” says Parker.

There were
moments of heroism among the jolted Union troopers.

Cpl. George
W. Healey (Healy) of Company E, 5th Iowa Cavalry is to win a Medal
of Honor for his actions at Brown’s Mill.

George Healey

According to
the citation, “When nearly surrounded by the enemy, (he) captured a Confederate
soldier, and with the aid of a comrade who joined him later, captured four
other Confederate soldiers, disarmed the five prisoners and brought them all
into the Union lines.”

Larry Conzett
of Nashville says his great-great-uncle, David, also of the 5th
Iowa, rode with Healey. David Conzett died shortly before Healey took the
prisoners.

“This family
folklore was George fought back with David’s empty pistol, capturing
Confederates, feigning the gun was full,” says Conzett, who will attend
Saturday’s dedication of the site.

David Conzett
fell near a tree within 75 yards of the home of George W. Cook. The home was on
high ground where McCook placed artillery and the council of war during a “last
stand.”

One of three
nieces staying at Cook’s home was killed during the fighting. Later, Cook wrote
a letter demanding the return of horses taken by Union troopers during the
battle.

David Conzett
and two comrades were buried at the Cook property before being moved to a
national cemetery in Marietta, north of Atlanta.

Planners and
preservationists hope a small visitor center will someday be built on the high
ground.

The 5th
Iowa was among the 500 troopers that were captured on the battlefield while
trying to cover the Union retreat.

An interpretive sign for battlefield (Coweta County)

The
fighting at Brown's Mill cost McCook about 100 killed and wounded, while
Wheeler's casualties probably numbered less than 50, according to Evans. Wheeler freed about 500 prisoners and
captured supplies.

Confederate
nurse Fannie Beers wrote about the carnage she encountered.

"The dead lay around
us on every side, singly and in groups and piles; men and horses, in some
cases, apparently inextricably mingled. Some lay as if peacefully sleeping;
others, with open eyes, seemed to glare at any who bent above
them. Two men lay as they had died, the 'Blue' and the 'Gray,' clasped in fierce
embrace...one shot in the head, the throat of the other waspartly torn away.”

The retreat
of the remaining Union forces was chaotic, with another 700 captured before
they could ford the Chattahoochee. Some men, including an officer naked except
for his hat, managed to swim or take a few ferries to safety.

Route of the Union retreat at Brown's Mill

According to
Evans, the McCook-Stoneman escapade and the loss at Brown’s Mill changed the
way the Atlanta Campaign was fought.

Sherman could
no longer depend on his now-crippled cavalry. A siege of the city ensued and
infantry was used to move on two crucial railroads.

“It forced
Sherman to change his strategy and while it did not change the ultimate
outcome… these Confederate victories prolonged the campaign at a crucial moment
of American history.”